Monday, February 13, 2006

Football Ends, but Not the Pain

Each Saturday in the fall, thousands of players put their lives on the line as their colleges earn big payouts and grab priceless national prestige. Decory Bryant, a cornerback at Georgia, knew the risk and, with his career soaring toward a possible selection in the first round of the NFL draft, the senior sought to secure an insurance policy to guard against a career-ending injury. But the very week he was to sign the policy, he suffered a broken neck, and his playing career was over. Now Bryant is suing the university. "I'm not out to destroy anything," he says. "I'm out to get what's owed to me."